Thursday, June 14, 2007

...is technology a magic bullet for engaging citizens more deeply in public problem-solving? Critics argue that face-to-face deliberation will always trump “faceless” emails when it comes to real engagement. Moreover, given evidence suggesting that the Internet tends to be better positioned as a tool for convening like-minded people, rather than those who disagree, is it possible that technology could ultimately prohibit citizen-centered work, given that one of the keys to this concept is involving a wide cross-section of people in communities, including those with very different perspectives…?